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Chicago Prepares for Massive Obama Rally; McCain Traveling to Seven States Today; Ohio Begins Early Voting; Sarah Palin Speaks in Missouri; Voters Running into Difficulties; Biden Speaks in Missouri

Aired November 03, 2008 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): You may think you're ready for election day, but are you really? You've made up your mind. You're braced for the line, but what if something goes wrong? Learn where to turn this hour.

Religion returns to campaign ads, as a weapon. Will Republicans win any converts with "Hail Mary" passes in battleground states?

DAVID ALAN GRIER, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "CHOCOLATE NEWS": I'm talking about all the white folks who refuse to vote for the black man. I got news for you. He's not black. He's half black.

PHILLIPS: Race, religion, politics. All part of the mix on "Chocolate News." David Alan Grier serves it up this hour right here in the NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get right to it this hour. It's been a fight to the finish for almost a year now, or almost two years, depending on how you count. But now, the finish is almost here. A day before Americans choose the next president, the two major candidates are running like there's no tomorrow. As every candidate does on election even, they're hitting the states they want or need to win most but haven't yet completely sewn up.

Between them, John McCain and Sarah Palin will have hit 11 states between 9 a.m. Eastern today and 2 p.m. tomorrow. And if you're keeping track, that's Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.

Now, the Democratic ticket is in Missouri, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois. That last state isn't one of the toss ups for Barack Obama; it's home.

We're covering election day, minus one, with CNN's Jessica Yellin in Chicago, Brian Todd in Philadelphia, and Mary Snow in Columbus, Ohio, where they're not waiting for tomorrow; they are voting early today. Bare-knuckle politics and Chicago go together like pizza and beer, but even Chicago is bracing for an election like none other. Jessica Yellin can tell us all about that and the pizza and the beer, probably.

Hey, Jess.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, Barack Obama has a busy day, but he will end it here in Chicago tonight and spend the day here tomorrow, election day, doing remote interviews with local TV stations around the country.

So here in Chicago, they are bracing for a massive turnout at his rally tomorrow night. It's something of a security nightmare for the city.

Right now, they're expecting 70,000 approximate people inside the roped-off or fenced-off section where Obama will be speaking. But Mayor Daley has predicted that as many as 1 million people could turn out to fill the streets around here, to be part of the event tomorrow night. Win or lose, whether is so good here, they expect a massive show of interest.

So for that reason, they have ordered every police officer on duty. They've even asked firefighters to take home their gear tonight so that, if anything should happen, they cut down the time it will take to respond and can run right out.

They've asked businesses in the area to send their employees home at 3 p.m. tomorrow. And only a ticketed few, 65,000, are getting official tickets to get in from the Obama campaign, starting at 8:30 tomorrow night. Events are supposed to start around 9, but Barack Obama, who knows when he'll speak? It all depends on election returns. There will be a lot of nervous people here, a lot of interested people here. And Chicago has a history of celebrating with pandemonium and having much pandemonium when there is even a football loss, for example. So who knows what we see tomorrow night -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: There you do. Da [SIC] Bears, da [SIC] election. All right, Jessica Yellin. Thanks so much.

Well, John McCain is warning of the dangers of one-party rule. Of course, what Republicans see as a danger, Democrats see as a godsend. How does Pennsylvania see it? Our Brian Todd is in Philly.

Hey, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

This is one of the John McCain stumps in a very dizzying day of campaigning. He went over some of the itinerary earlier. He's on his way here to Pennsylvania. He's going to stop in Moon Township outside Pittsburgh within minutes to hold yet another rally. Seven rallies in seven states. A very, very busy day for John McCain.

This is a state his campaign is targeting. They believe they can win here and turn this traditionally Democratic state into a Republican win.

Earlier today in Tampa, John McCain hit on a theme that he has been hitting on the last few days, and that is what he perceives as Barack Obama's over confidence. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The pundits, written us off, just like they've done before, and my opponent is measuring the drapes in the White House. Now -- by the way, one of my first acts as president will be to ban the delaying of the World Series by any infomercial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: That will go over well here in Philadelphia, where that last game of the World Series, the end of that last game, continuation of it, was delayed by Barack Obama's taped message, but Philadelphia is not going to be a place where John McCain will likely win. This is an Obama stronghold, as is Pittsburgh.

But you know, a couple of different themes that John McCain has been hitting on. That one in particular, but also, in recent days here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, McCain has talked about, you know, kind of warning voters, look, do you really want Barack Obama as president and then such a liberal Congress, such liberal leadership running Congress? He's hit on Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Harry Reid, in addition to Barack Obama.

That's been a theme here in Pennsylvania, warning voters that, you know, if you really want all these liberals in place in the White House and in Congress, running the place.

You know, some analysts who talked to CNN said that's something that maybe the Republicans could have hit on a long time ago. They're a little late in getting into that type of talk. It could really resonate with some voters. You know, here in Pennsylvania, Kyra, a lot of conservative voters, a lot of moderate Democrats, Hillary Clinton Democrats. That's what John McCain is targeting.

Sarah Palin's also been here. They're really pushing hard for this state. Ten -- this is the tenth out of the last 15 days that either John McCain or Sarah Palin will have come to this state. So they're pushing very, very hard here in Pennsylvania.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brian Todd, thanks so much.

And in Ohio, this isn't just the day before the election; it's the last day of pre-election voting. CNN's Mary Snow watching the Democratic process in Columbus.

Hey, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra. And you know, talking to voters now, they say on average, they're waiting about three to three and a half hours to cast a ballot. And that is the scene that's been happening over the weekend, if you take a look at some of the pictures we shot over the weekend here at Veterans Memorial in Franklin County. There were lines -- at one point, Kyra, someone waited seven and a half hours to cast her ballot.

For the most part, the mood has been celebratory. There have been some music out here in the parking lot, people handing out food and water. Others, though, are clearly frustrated, saying they think it's ridiculous that they have to wait so long to cast a ballot.

Earlier today, Governor Ted Strickland, the Democratic governor of Ohio -- he's also a Barack Obama supporter -- came by, saying that he thought this was inspiring and something to celebrate, with so many people turning out to vote. I did ask him, though, Kyra, if he expected challenges tomorrow, because Ohio has been in the midst of legal challenges in the past few weeks. He said yes, he expects there probably will be some challenges, but added this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TED STRICKLAND (D), OHIO: I say that it's more important to get it right than to get it rapid. And so we should take time to do it right. And if that means that the vote count will be delayed for a period of time in order to do it correctly and accurately, then that's what we ought to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: And officials here in Ohio say they are prepared. Take a look at 2004, those long lines. They are bracing. They've added more machines in the state. They've allocated those machines and tried to balance them out, so people won't be waiting too long tomorrow.

And unlike today, this is the only polling place in Franklin County, which has also contributed to those long lines. But it's expected that 80 percent of voters will turn out tomorrow, which is a very high turnout -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much.

Let's go ahead and go to Jefferson City, Missouri. Sarah Palin holding a rally. Let's listen in for a couple minutes.

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, Missouri, if you share our commitment, and if you work hard, if you know what hard work feels like, and if you do believe that American is still the land of possibility, and you want to get ahead, and if you don't want your dreams dashed by the Obama tax plan increases, then Missouri, we are asking for your vote.

Missouri, do you share our commitment, and can we count on you tomorrow?

What John and I need to do, too, for all of you, we will succeed in reversing 30 years of failed energy policy. John and I will set this country firmly on a path towards energy independence. We're going to develop new energy sources, and we'll tap into what we've got. The billions of barrels of oil, the hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, and our coal deposits. There is more coal in this free country than there is oil in all of Saudi Arabia.

See, our opponents do not understand this, that we have the domestic solutions here at our fingertips, in order to allow us to become energy independent. It's nonsense right now what we're doing. We're circulating hundreds of billions of your U.S. dollars into foreign countries, asking them to ramp up production so that we can purchase energy supplies from them. Some of these dollars end up in the hands of volatile, foreign regimes that do not like America, and they use energy as a weapon.

Those hundreds of millions of dollars need to be re-circulated right back here, creating jobs for all of you.

So safely tapping into what we've got here domestically -- and we will develop clean coal technology and we will use the safest methods to mine, baby, mine and drill, baby, drill. Drill it here, drill it now. We'll achieve energy independence for our country, and that means American energy sources brought to you by American ingenuity and produced by American workers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

PALIN: USA. USA. And like this poster says, not just drill, baby, drill; mine, baby, mine. She's saying vote, baby, vote.

So those are the couple of the missions that we will be on. Can't wait to succeed for all of you, putting government back on your side, working for you.

There's another mission, too, that's especially close to my heart. And that is to help our families who have children with special needs.

PHILLIPS: Governor Palin, live in Jefferson City, Missouri. Joe Biden also in Missouri. We'll listen to him a little later in the hour.

Meanwhile, a lot of problems even before election day. Our voter hotlines ringing off the hook. We'll find out what some of you have been encountering as you voted early or get ready to head to the polls tomorrow.

Elizabeth Dole on the attack, using the word "godless" in a TV ad. Her opponent in the high-profile Senate race promptly filed a lawsuit. Who's telling the truth? We'll do some fact-checking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: More than 25,000 calls, that's what we've gotten so far from you on the voter hotline. All about problems that you've run up against, hours-long waits, snafus with registering, absentee ballots or access at polling stations. The list continues.

CNN's Carol Costello has been fielding your viewer questions. She's been up for days now and joins us live to tell us how we can all fix the problems.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, the biggest problem are the long lines. And of course, people waiting at the last moment to find their polling place. We sent our cameras out across the country to find out the questions most prominent in viewers' minds. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm Erica Wilson (ph) from Sarasota, Florida. Election-day lines could definitely be an issue for me, just because I don't have three hours to kill waiting in line. I mean, job, school, five days a week type thing. So I'm definitely worried about it. Rumor has it that three hours is the possible waiting time, so it might be an issue. I mean, I might not actually wait to vote, and that's disappointing. This is my first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, Erica, vote. We all share your pain. The best advice: do not go after work in the afternoon. Go to the polls at an odd time, like let's say 2:30 in the afternoon. Tell your boss you are voting. Call your boss with updates so you can stand in line longer. And do your part; familiarize yourself with the ballot.

We filled out a test ballot in Ohio. It took us seven to nine minutes to fill it out. But if you live in a state with 13 local issues in addition to president, and you have not looked at a sample ballot, you could be in the polling place for hours. Like in the little ballot booth for hours.

So go online and check out a sample ballot.

One more thing: we've seen long lines in early voting, but keep in mind on election day, polling places will be running at full speed. There will be more machines and more poll workers. And don't forget to bring the book, bring a chair, meet new friends. Who knows? Maybe you will meet the love of your life in line, until you find out that he's voting for Obama and you're voting for McCain and the relationship will end right there.

Anyway, Kyra, we have another question from Carla (ph). Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm Carla Mosley (ph). I'm from Westchester, New York. And I live in Astoria, Queens. And I'm wondering if I show up to the polls next Tuesday morning and I think I'm supposed to vote in one place, but they tell me that I'm actually supposed to vote in another place, how do I know where to go and what do I do if I don't have time to search around to go to another polling area?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Actually, that is an excellent question, Carla (ph), because yours is the most asked question. The League of Women Voters says know the right information ahead of time. I know. We are a nation of procrastinators. We wait until the very last minute to find out where we're supposed to vote.

Do not ask your neighbor, because who knows if Martha next door really knows what she's talking about? Since Carla (ph) is from New York, she should visit the New York Board of Elections Web site or -- and this is easy, so get ready to listen -- go to Vote411.org, Vote411.org. At this site, there's a place where you can type in your name, your address and your ZIP code, and bingo, Kyra, your polling place will come up and all will be well with the world.

PHILLIPS: And you know what's funny? When I was sitting in line for three hours and five minutes -- not that I was being exact on the count there -- the guy behind me totally picked up on the woman behind me, got a date. I listened to their whole conversation. And the only thing I did was I told the gal in front of me to stop smacking her gum. That was my day.

COSTELLO: Gee. But -- but can you imagine the number of relationships you could make while standing in line for four hours? It could be a beautiful thing.

PHILLIPS: I should have thought of a story, a short story, shooting a story. Thanks, Carol.

Well, we're not officially in a recession unless the National Bureau of Economic Research says so, but nearly 100 of the country's top economists think that we're there already and won't bounce back until 2010, at the earliest.

Now, when a key index that measures manufacturing falls below 41, that's considered a recession. The October number, just under 39. That's the lowest since 1982.

And Circuit City is the latest company to short circuit in this economy. It's closing more than 150 stores and cutting 17 percent of its work force in an effort to see some profits again.

And as if all that isn't bad enough, consider this. Wall Street has finally closed the book on its worst month in 21 years. The stock market lost $2.5 trillion in value in October. Will November be any better?

Well, let's get to Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there is a silver lining there, Kyra. As bad as October was, it could have been worse. And why do I say that? Yes, it was the worst in -- in a couple decades, but the last week of October was the best week in three decades. That's the kind of volatility that we saw in Shocktober, as some folks here on Wall Street are calling it.

And November historically is very, very good. Stock Traders' Almanac says November is the best month of the year, historically, for the S&P 500 and the third best for the Dow.

On Thursday and Friday, we got our first back-to-back gains of the month for the Dow. Could be a three-peat here.

And you know, some folks are saying that the gains we saw similar, late in the month, are similar to recoveries from bear markets in 1974 and 1982. Let's hope so.

Very quiet day on Wall Street. Why is that? The headline is coming from Washington, and who will be the chief executive of the USA? Right now, the Dow is up, modestly, 13 points. The NASDAQ is up 12. Oil is up -- oil is down. Make that down. Oil is down $3.50, under $65 a barrel. That's also good -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, so does the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at the end of the month mean that we may have seen the bottom?

LISOVICZ: You know, a lot of folks are saying that, because we really are so far above the closing lows, the five-year closing lows that we saw on that fateful Friday, October 10. Right now, the Dow is at 9,339. Closing low was 1,000 points below that. And the intraday low was 7,800 and change, so we've actually made up a lot of ground.

And a couple of things to watch for. The market was actually rallying last week in the face of some very bad news of consumer confidence and consumer spending. You mentioned that lousy manufacturing report. Construction spending wasn't so good. Ford sales are down 30 percent last month.

So you know, what you're seeing is a little bit of a disconnect, and that sometimes is the mark of a bear market that is -- well, that is recovering. That's very hopeful.

But remember, the stock market is a leading indicator. It goes six -- looking six to nine months ahead of time. And jobs -- jobs, a lagging indicator, and that is the big headline at the end of the week. We get the jobs report for October. You mentioned Circuit City. We're hearing -- we're hearing about job cuts on a daily basis. That -- that front is supposed to get worse before it gets better, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep tracking. Thanks so much, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Sweaty palms, aching feet or head? Well, you're not getting ill; just suffering from election anxiety, probably. But we've got the right prescription for you.

And David Alan Grier. On his new show, he says that there's blackness involved. We're getting involved. We've got some serious questions for the funny man about the election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Joe Biden is stumping in traditionally red states today, an indication, perhaps, of the Democrats' confidence in the outcome of tomorrow's vote. In battleground Missouri earlier today, Biden's message on this election eve had a familiar ring to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Today in America, people are asking, no matter where it is, the same questions. They are simple, as simple as they are profound.

Is my house worth what I paid for? Or do I have an upside-down mortgage, where I owe more than it's worth? Will my company continue my health care? As a matter of act, are the rumors about my company going abroad, true? How are we going to be able to retire, now that our 401(k) has been cleared out and all that equity in our home we counted on seems to be gone? Will we be able to send our kids back -- let alone in the first place -- back to college?

Conversations are taking place. You students, you're asking yourselves questions. Some of you who have been graduating from here and going on to four-year schools. You're finding it hard to go out there and borrow that money. You're finding it difficult.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, the questions are profound, but they're everywhere. Claire (ph), this is the first election, presidential election, I've campaigned in, where whether I was in Montana or Florida, whether I'm in Missouri or Maine, whether I'm in Texas or I am in Jersey, the questions are the same. It is the most uniformly -- how can I say it? -- intense election I've ever, ever been a part in.

Because ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, people -- people have been hurt. Hard-working people who played by the rules have been hurt. There have been more than 700,000 jobs lost just since January.

And ladies and gentlemen, more than 2 million homes have been foreclosed on so far this year. And last month, 235,000 people in America, hard-working Americans, got foreclosure notices. Folks, for too many families, people who played by the rules, the American dream is literally -- they see it slipping from their grasp.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's why I believe, with a greater degree of confidence than I've ever had before, that we are on the cusp of a new brand of American leadership, because that's what we need: a new brand of American leadership. Because folks, if we want to answer all those questions being raised around that kitchen table, we need to get out and elect Barack Obama president of the United States tomorrow. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, to North Carolina. A fight for survival and the race has really gotten nasty. We've got the latest on Senator Elizabeth Dole's battle to keep her seat and her attack ad that sparked a lawsuit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 1:31 Eastern time. Here's some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. The two presidential tickets in some most wanted states as the long campaign trail comes within sight of its destination. John McCain's getting ready for a rally in Pennsylvania. Barack Obama's headed for North Carolina, after a late morning rally in Florida. Sarah Palin is in Missouri. Joe Biden was there earlier and speaks next in Ohio.

The Dow clinging to positive territory despite (INAUDIBLE) news from Ford. The automaker reports sales were down 30 percent in October, from the same month last year. GM and Chrysler expert to report even bigger drops. The Dow Industrial's up six points right now.

And there's going to be a surge of pink slips at Circuit City. The company plans to shudder more than 150 stores and lay off about 17 percent of its workforce.

Well, North Carolina, Senator Elizabeth Dole is fighting for her political life. Polls show her trailing her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan. Their race took a very nasty turn last week with a new Dole attack ad featuring the word, Godless. Our Joe Johns has a closer look at this contentious battle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been called despicable, a sign of desperation.

ANNOUNCER: A leader of the godless Americans Pact recently held a fundraiser in Kay Hagan's honor.

JOHNS: With time running out and her tough re-election bid, Republican Senator Elizabeth dole went up with a sledgehammer of a television ad against her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan. An ad tailor made to put religious conservatives, always a force in North Carolina, on red alert.

ANNOUNCER: Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took Godless money. What did Hagan promise in return?

JOHNS: Hagan is screaming foul and says, she is filing a lawsuit, claiming damage to her reputation.

KAY HAGAN (D), N.C. SENATE CANDIDATE: I don't have a relationship with this group. I've never even heard of it until Elizabeth Dole put a press release out about it. Never heard about it.

JOHNS: So, what's the truth of it? Keeping them honest, let's start with the facts. It's true that Hagan attended a fundraiser on her behalf, at the Boston of a guy named Woody Kaplan, who is a member of the board of advisers of a group the Godless Americans Political Action Committee. But, the fundraiser was not sponsored by the Godless Americans Pact, rather it was sponsored by Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, in something called the Secure our Senate Majority Host Committee.

According to Hagan's disclosure forms, Kaplan, in his own name, has donated a total of $2,300. Hagan says she has received no money from the Godless American Pact, itself. Her campaign says, the fundraiser was not secret and she wasn't hiding from the camera. OK. So the ad stretches the facts a little. But, is it despicable?

STUART ROTHENBERG, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT: I think this is actually standard political theater.

JOHNS: And there's a money trail.

ROTHENBERG: You go to a fundraiser, take a check. You're going to have to answer for that. Doesn't mean she can't answer, but it's not such a crazy issue to bring up for the Republicans.

JOHNS: Hagan has come out strong. She and others see a larger problem with the ad. It implies she's anti-Christian, even though she says she's a Sunday school teacher and an elder in the Presbyterian church.

HAGAN: I want people to know who I am. I am a strong Christian and I believe in my faith and I am appalled that Elizabeth Dole was duped this low.

JOHNS: Democrats have a lot riding on this race. Getting to a fillibuster proof majority could depend on it.

ROTHENBERG: Well, Senator Dole's fate is crucial because she's one of the nine seats that the Democrats need to get 60. If they can take her out, they still have the chance to get to 60. If she wins, it's an awful hard fight for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Hagan is now suing Dole for defamation and libel. Joining me from Chicago, with his insight on this nasty Senate battle, CNN political contributor David Brody. It always gets nasty in politics. He's also the Christian Broadcasting Network's senior national correspondent.

So, I'm curious. What do you think of the ad -- Dole's ad?

DAVID BRODY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I mean, I think, by all accounts, most people would say it's pretty over the top. I mean, look. Anytime you start to you know, in essence, condemn someone else's you know, faith walk, if you will. Then you're going into real dangerous and unchartered territory.

You know, I have to say, Kyra, it remind me a little bit though, of the broader issue going on in this country between Democrats and Republicans on the faith issue. Because Democrats have been trying to for a long time, to kind of break down that wall that separated them a little bit on the faith issue, between them and voters -- their party and voters.

But now, all of a sudden, Republicans are a little bit on the defensive when it comes to faith because the Democrats have obviously made inroads in this area, especially in the south, running a lot of pro-life Democrats and a lot of pro-faith Democrats, if you will. And that has put the Republicans back on their heels, quite a bit, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, at the end of the day, how important is religion to a person's vote?

BRODY: Well, I think it's very important. I mean, if you look at surveys across this country, you can look at 75, 80 percent of folks talk about their belief in God.

But I think it goes beyond that, Kyra. I think what we're talking about here, is this emotional connection, if you will, between a candidate and voters. What do I mean by that? What I'm saying here is that when you talk about faith, when you talk about God and values, you really are able to connect with voters at that emotional level.

Because let's face it, most folks, though policy is important, they do have to have this emotional connection with the candidate. Look at what's happening with Barack Obama and what he's been able to do with his faith outreach team. That has really helped him a lot in the last year or so.

PHILLIPS: Well, you bring up Obama. Let's look at this Pennsylvania GOP ad. This anti-Obama ad. I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: If you think you could ever vote for Barack Obama, consider this. Obama chose as his spiritual leader, this man.

REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, BARACK OBAMA'S FMR. PASTOR: Not God bless America, god (EXPLETIVE DELETED) America.

ANNOUNCER: He always picked Wright to baptize his children.

WRIGHT: U.S. of KKK.

ANNOUNCER: Barack Obama. He chose as a pastor, a man who blamed the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks. Does that sound like someone who should be president?

WRIGHT: God (EXPLETIVE DELETED) America.

ANNOUNCER: The Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania is responsible and paid for this ad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, just when you thought that Jeremiah Wright had gone away, he's back. And will it effect the election? And why bring it back now?

BRODY: Well, a lot of different reasons for it. You know, it's interesting, Kyra, you know, John McCain is out with Joe the Plumber a lot. Imagine if he brought Jeremiah Wright to some of his rallies. You know, that may help him a little bit.

Look, the bottom line here, Kyra, is why didn't John McCain, A) bring it up in the first place. And if he was going to bring it up, maybe they should have brought it up six months ago. That ad, clearly not a John McCain sponsored ad. But the point is, is that if you're going to bring up Jeremiah Wright, if you're in the McCain campaign, you bring it up earlier and you make it a character and judgment issue and lump it in with Ayers and Resko and some of these other shady characters, according to the McCain campaign. They never did that, it could be a huge blunder as we look at the post-mortem on Wednesday morning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, we are definitely going to be talking about politics Wednesday morning, all morning, all day and probably for days to come.

David Brody, great to see you.

BRODY: A pleasure.

PHILLIPS: Well, lined up and ready to go. But are you stressed about voting? We're going to have some tips on dealing with election jitters.

And Republicans say the thought of a liberal Congress and a liberal president gives them the jitters. No checks, no balances, just blank checks and imbalance. Next hour, we're going to look at what could really happen if we see a Democratic landslide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Worried about who to vote for or that your candidate won't win? Well, Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree on one thing. Election jitters are stressing folks out. Just listen to what iReporter Janet Bollero, in Winter Garden, Florida, had to say about her voting experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

This is what you call a stress-o-meter. You put your fingers right there and it tells you your level of stress. Let's see what mine is due to these elections. So, here I am, putting my fingers. And the result is frightfully frazzled.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: We're always frightfully frazzled around here.

Elizabeth Cohen, joining us to talk about what she's hearing from all the experts on how to deal with anxiety.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you know what one therapist said to me was? She said --

PHILLIPS: You've been getting free therapy for a couple of weeks.

COHEN: That's right! Isn't this great? That's why I'm doing this story. She said to me, Elizabeth, I have not seen this kind of stress since 9/11. She said, people are coming into their office, they're laying down on the couch, or sitting in the char, whatever they do with therapists these days. And they're telling her that they feel a lot of the anxiety because they're sure that their guy has just got to win. Not only just to be the leader of the free world. I mean, we do that every four years, elect one of those.

But also, Kyra, she said people are feeling like the economy is such a mess, that they feel convinced that their guy guy, whether it's McCain or Obama, is the one to fix that mess. And they feel a lot of anxiety, what if my guy loses?

PHILLIPS: And worrying does absolutely nothing. They got to all read "The Power of Now," Ekhart Tolle --

COHEN: Right. Exactly. Right, right.

PHILLIPS: OK. So, what do you do about the stress?

COHEN: All right. There are definite ways that you can go about handling stress. So, let's look at three pointers.

The most important one is to realize that certain things are beyond your control. You can feel as passionately as you want about this election, but you cannot control the outcome. Also, stay connected with real people. Another thing that we're hearing from therapists is that people are spending a lot of the time online and on TV dealing with this election.

You know, go out to someone for lunch, who you really know. Like a real person, face to face. Also, turn off the TV. I know that sounds like a strange thing for me to say, since I'm on TV. But, at a certain point, it can get to be a little bit much. Control it. Turn it off if you're feeling kind of anxieted (ph), out about all of this.

PHILLIPS: You know, we can't do that. We have to stay up --

COHEN: No.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, if your guy loses, what do you do?

COHEN: Well, you have to acknowledge that you might be angry for a while. Accept the anger. You're going to be upset. That is OK. If the anger goes on for more than a couple of weeks, you might need professional help. But, what you want to do is channel that anger. If you're guy loses, think about, for example, what you could do locally in your community you make things better. And just accept, you know what, my guy didn't win. I'm going to see what I can do right here, and right now to make things better.

PHILLIPS: No Jack Daniels.

COHEN: No. That's a bad way to handle stress. That's a bad way to handle stress.

PHILLIPS: All right. Good tips.

Thanks so much, Elizabeth.

Well, leading our political ticker, just ahead of election day, vice president Dick Cheney weighs in on the race at an event in his home state of Wyoming. Over the weekend, Cheney came out in support of the McCain/Palin ticket. After the endorsement, the Obama campaign unleashed a new ad saying McCain earned Cheney support by voting with the White House 90 percent of the time. Cheney has one of the lowest approval ratings of any national political figure.

A new poll suggests that Sarah Palin may not been a wise choice John McCain's running mate. The CNN Opinion Research Corporation Survey shows Palin losing support with voters. Only 40 percent say the Alaska governor has the personal qualities a president should have. That's down seven points since September. And 43 percent say that she agrees with them on important issues, also down from September.

Barack Obama's campaign says a Democratic candidate did not know that his aunt apparently is living in the U.S. illegally. The aunt is the half sister of Obama's Kenyan father. Reports say that she's living in public housing in Boston, and was ordered to leave the U.S. four years ago. An aid to Obama says the Senator believes all appropriate laws should be followed in this case.

Well, check out our political ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log-on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.

David Alan Grier says that his new show isn't Whoopie Goldberg, sitting on the couch with a bunch of white girls yacking. The view from "Chocolate News" is far different. And you got to love the picture of Mr. T. in the background.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, have you seen David Alan Grier's new show "Chocolate News?" Well, it's got nothing to do with candy. But, it is a coating a chocolate, covering a serious center.

Here's a little taste. Grier's channeling some serious flip wilson (ph) here, by the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to cast my vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Hi, Dee-Dee. Hey, girl. Hey. Uh-huh. Uh- huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Well, I ain't doing nothing but helping people vote and things. You know, I vote for Mr. Barack Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. I need to get back to work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh no, he didn't. No he did not. Hold on, Dee Dee. Because you about to be witnessed to a beat down. What is your name, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; John Smith.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Smith?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a very common name. S-M-I-

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know how to spell, sir. S-M-I-F-F. Smiff. I can't find it. Please step aside. You don't get to vote today. And you made me hang up on my friend.

Oh, hi. What can I do to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And now your "Chocolate News" host, David Alan Grier joining us live from Los Angeles.

You know, Peta (ph) didn't let me vote either. What's up with that?

DAVID ALAN GRIER, HOST "CHOCOLATE NEWS": Hmm. She's a strong advocate for the Democratic Party.

PHILLIPS: Yes she is.

So, Obama could make history here.

GRIER: Yes, he could.

PHILLIPS: Uh-huh.

GRIER: Tomorrow, I don't know. I'm -- you know, I was watching your report about stress. I'm stressed out. I've been watching day and night, everything about this election. I don't know what we're going to do after tomorrow. I really do not know what we're going to do.

PHILLIPS: And how exactly are you handling your stress?

GRIER: My wife says not well. I come to bed late. I got too much information. I read those little crawls halfway. So, I don't get anything right. I just come to bed going, somebody got killed. There's a bombing. And Obama was up by three points. I don't get it right.

PHILLIPS: Now, you're doing everything possible to get Obama elected, right? What are you doing?

GRIER: Not really. I mean, I'm -- listen. I am like any other citizen. I'm responsible for my vote. And I will vote for Barack Obama tomorrow. And hopefully that will be the vote that will put him over the top.

PHILLIPS: You'll be that one and lonely vote. Now, why do you think so many white people are not voting for a black candidate?

GRIER: I don't -- I don't think that to be seriously. Because if white people didn't vote for Obama, we wouldn't be here now. He would not be the nominee.

You know, on my show, we talk about a lot of political things because that is what is in the culture right now. But, our first goal and want is to go for jokes. So, it's not like, you know, real political opinion. Of course, white people are voting for Barack Obama or else he never would have become the nominee.

PHILLIPS: So, David Alan Grier, why not John McCain?

GRIER: Why you trying to set me up?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I'm not trying to set you up. I'm trying to tee you up. Go on, (INAUDIBLE).

GRIER: Here is why. I'm going to tell you why. Look, I think that Barack Obama is a better leader for this country. And John McCain is a little too old. He may be a little too old.

PHILLIPS: What's wrong with an older man?

GRIER: He's a wonderful hero. He was a wonderful war hero. But Sarah Palin -- if John McCain trips in the shower, it is doomed. We are over. I'm not ready for Sarah Palin to be president.

PHILLIPS: Don't you think Sarah Palin's hot?

GRIER: First of all, that question is sexist. That's first and foremost. And second of all --

PHILLIPS: And you're not sexist. You are not sexist. Let's just make that point.

GRIER: No, no, I'm not. Let me tell you something. I don't care if Sarah Palin looked better than Beyonce. She's ain't going to get my vote. I don't care how good she looks. I care what her beliefs are.

And let me just tell you one more thing. When you ask me why am I voting for Barack Obama, race has nothing to do with it. Because if the Republicans ran an African-American candidate with the same platform as John McCain, I'm not going to be voting for him just because he's black. I would not vote for him. So, for me that's not why I'm voting for Barack Obama.

PHILLIPS: Bottom line, why are you voting for Barack Obama?

GRIER: Because he's black. What are you, nuts?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Of course, race has nothing to do with it. Now, wait a minute. I thought he's half black, half white. Hold on a second here.

GRIER: He's the perfect blend. He's the -- he's the future of America.

No, seriously, I think we need a change in Washington. John McCain and his platform do not represent that. Barack Obama does, in my humble opinion. And I fully support him for president.

PHILLIPS: Finally --

GRIER: Plus, if I vote, I mean, maybe he'll give me something like ambassador of comedy or something like that.

PHILLIPS: There you go. That'd be perfect. We could use a new secretary of comedy.

GRIER: Yes. Now, you said you already voted, right?

PHILLIPS: Yes, I did.

GRIER: So, who'd you vote for?

PHILLIPS: I'm not going to tell you who I voted for. Come on now. Who do you think I voted for?

GRIER: Barack Obama? No? You know you can't split the ticket. You can't have Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I can't mix it up?

GRIER: No, you cannot.

PHILLIPS: OK. I thought about writing your name in there.

GRIER: Hmm. Well, that would make sense. Not this year, though.

PHILLIPS: You know, you talk about, you know, this whole black and white thing and you know, how it's so important to have, you know, diversity in the news and in comedy and all that. I got an idea for you.

GRIER: What? PHILLIPS: Take a look at this. White Chocolate News.

Are you for it?

GRIER: Wow. I'm going to pass on that and ask you, on behalf of black and white citizens of this country, stay away from comedy, please. Would you? Let me handle that.

PHILLIPS: David Alan Grier, I'm still going to -- I'm not going to hate. I will still watch "Chocolate News." It was great to have you.

Any final advice for our viewers? Assuming that millions of people are watching you right now.

GRIER: Now, this is honest. I want everybody to vote. That's the most important thing. It's been exciting this election process. And in that, it's gotten more people involved with the process. That's good for the country. So vote, vote, and vote. That's my one desire.

PHILLIPS: OK. And Tenisha (ph), we're supposed to promote D.L. Hughley on Saturday and Sunday nights. Is that correct? Here we go. 10:00 p.m. breaking the news.

GRIER: Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute. They didn't tell me nothing about that.

PHILLIPS: Oh, whoops. I'm sorry. David Alan Grier. I got you all confused. I'm sorry.

GRIER: See how you do? See how you do? OK.

PHILLIPS: Love you, Dag (ph).

GRIER: Yes. Love you, back.

PHILLIPS: Don't forget, D.L. Hughley, breaking the news, Saturday night --

GRIER: What? I can't believe this. What did I do to you?

PHILLIPS: OK. And "Chocolate News," too. Let's not forget that.

Bye, David.

GRIER: Bye, bye.

PHILLIPS: Republicans say the thought of a liberal Congress and a liberal president gives them the jitters. No checks, no balances. Just blank checks and imbalance. Next hour, we'll look at what could really happen if we see a Democratic landslide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: "Saturday Night Live," riding the parody train until the bitter end. John and Cindy McCain stopped by over the weekend and they knocked them dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you someone who likes fine jewelry and also respects a politician who can reach across the aisle? If so, you can't go wrong with McCain Fine Gold. It commemorates the McCain Fine Gold Act and also looks great with evening wear. Thank you, Cindy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

McCain also hawked a complete set of knives, perfect for cutting pork. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.